The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 film)
- Ben Stiller: Walter Mitty
- Kristen Wiig: Cheryl Melhoff
- Shirley MacLaine: Edna Mitty
- Adam Scott: Ted Hendricks
- Kathryn Hahn: Odessa Mitty
- Sean Penn Sean O'Connell
- Patton Oswalt: Death Maher
- Adrian Martinez: Hernando
The Amazing Life of Walter Mitty is an American comedy - drama in which Ben Stiller is directing and starring takes over. The film is based on the short story Walter Mittys secret life of James Thurber and is also the second film based on The Double Life of Walter Mitty from the year 1947. The film opened on December 25, 2013, the American cinema. The German theatrical release took place on 1 January 2014. The film took a world so far (as of February 15, 2014 ) more than 175 million U.S. dollars.
Action
Walter Mitty leads a reclusive life. For years he has been working in the photo archive of the prestigious Life! Magazine. Mitty tried the gray everyday life through daydreams to escape, where he witnessed heroic adventure and finds his true love. But then he meets his new colleague Cheryl and suddenly the great love has become a reality. But Walter does not dare to speak to Cheryl.
When it is announced that the magazine will only appear online yet, Walter runs the risk of losing his job. The last print edition of the magazine is to adorn the image of the famous Life! Photographers Sean O'Connell, but just this photo is gone. Walter takes along his courage and goes for his job and his love on an adventure from which he has otherwise only ever dreamed of.
Walter and Cheryl find out based on the last photos of Sean, where he could be located. Walter follows him after just decided. After a flight to Greenland Walter learns that Sean O'Connell is on a fishing boat off the coast. Good news, today a delivery for the ship by helicopter to be delivered. Only reluctantly rises Mitty then but ultimately to the already drunken pilots in the aircraft.
On the fishing boat comes Walter Mitty only when he jumps out of the helicopter. However, he ends up in the icy North Sea and has to fight against a shark. Sean O'Connell is now moved on again. In Iceland Walter can go back to shore and travels to a volcano where the photographer should be located. By bike and longboard he drives the long distance to the next town. When he was there last, but he missed again Sean and escapes finally just as a volcanic eruption. He then receives a text message with a call for help of his colleague, who should turn up the photo does not immediately fired.
Walter returns home and finds that the arrogant Ted Hendricks has now been fired Cheryl among others. It is known that Walter has not the photo, and Walter is fired. But Walter does not want to give up. From his mother he learns that Sean was a week ago in the city, was informed about Walters working hours and would like to travel further in the direction of Afghanistan.
Together with two Sherpas and a mandarin cake his mother he sets out to Yemen. Using the Mandarin cake as a bribe means the team must travel through the territory of the warlords. In the high mountains Walter finally meets Sean, who was busy photographing a snow leopard. It turns out that Walter had long carried around the photo unnoticed with it without knowing it. At the beginning of Sean O'Connell had it delivered the negative role and a gift in the office of Walter. The negative for the photo for the front page he has put into a handmade wallet. After Walter Mitty came back from his trip to Iceland, he has thrown away the wallet out of disappointment.
After some entry problems back in the United States because actually in Afghanistan, there was a travel ban and Mitty illegally entered there through the mountains, he looks back at his mother, who has to move into an assisted living for seniors.
The mother, who can not throw anything and everything collected by Walter, ultimately handed him the wallet that Walter Sean has been given. He happily accepts this and checked immediately whether the negative is in it. He drives the management of the Life! Magazine, the negative throws on the table with the words, "Here is your photo! " And leaves the building.
A few days later, when he and the other former employees to collect their severance pay in the personnel department, he meets Cheryl. You walk down the street together and notice at a kiosk that the new (last) issue of Life! Magazine was published. On the cover, that's how Sean O'Connell says himself, best photo he has ever shot. It is a photo of Walter Mitty as he checked the photos of the magazine in front of the building of the Life! Magazine.
Background
The film producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr., whose father in 1947 produced the first adaptation of the book, in 1994, was planning a remake with Jim Carrey in the lead role. Walt Disney Pictures presented itself first as a producer for the movie, but Goldwyn refused and finally decided to New Line Cinema, which had the movies Dumb and Dumber and The Mask already (both 1994) produced with Carrey. 1995 acquired the studio the rights for the film, in the belief that The Samuel Goldwyn Company would be involved with in creative decisions for the film. Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz designed in July 1997 a first screenplay for the film. Should lead director Ron Howard, who, however, left the project for EDtv again.
In May 1999, New Line Cinema contacted the director Chuck Russell ( The Mask) with the request that one more time to write the script again and take Howard's place as a director. Filming should begin in early 2000, however, were postponed indefinitely backwards. To this period Peter Tolan worked on new versions of the script. In November 2002, New Line Cinema was forced to give the rights back to Goldwyn, he won the case regarding the rights to the film. Goldwyn since heard of Paramount Pictures. In April 2011 it was announced that Ben Stiller would take over the role of Walter Mitty and part of the production and the director of the film.
In April 2013 20 minutes of footage from CinemaCon in Las Vegas and a teaser trailer was unveiled at the U.S. broadcaster Fox. Based on the film clips shown has been speculation about the chances of the film in the upcoming film awards ceremonies.
The premiere of the film took place on October 5, 2013 at the New York Film Festival. The film was also at the AFI Film Festival selected.
Reception
Criticism
The movie reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film based on 160 reviews with an average rating of 49%. Metacritic assigns the film 47 out of 100 points based on 12 reviews, making the consensus on the film as "mixed or average reviews " fails ( dt, " mixed or average reviews" ).
Criticized Peter Debruge of the Variety Magazine that the film's satirical undertones of Thurber's short story could not translate and Stiller play the lead role too seriously.
Sonja Hartl of Spielfilm.de writes in her conclusion:
" " Ben Stiller has a good cast, a great soundtrack and good camera work staged a beautiful film, which ultimately leads to a simple life to philosophy rather than to reflect on the true meaning of the little moments. " "